Always the Tone of Surprise
by Supasweet92
Summary: Ron is tired of taking a backseat in his relationship with Hermione. Will he be able to rise to the challenge finally? As you can see I suck at summaries. . . Read and Review


Ronald Weasley sat in his office trying to figure out how to ask Hermione Granger to marry him. He was tired of her always making the first moves in their relationship. The first kiss, she initiated it. The first date, she asked him. The first time, she suggested it while wearing a very revealing piece of lingerie. Moving in together, she beat him once again by secretly moving her stuff in while he was away on a long Auror mission. Ron couldn't take it anymore. She was always in control, but no more. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to ask her to marry him first.

***

Hermione was tired of waiting around for Ron to step up and ask her to marry him. It had been five years since they had begun dating and it was time for the next step. Did she really have to make the first move in everything they did as couple?

He had taken too long to kiss her (okay so she hadn't really made it clear that she liked him, but neither did he) but when he made that comment about the house elves during the war it was just too much. Following that he never asked her out on a date, he definitely liked her (they had kissed and what not several times after the war was over but he never really did anything about it) so one night after a snogging session she asked him out on a whim. Afterwards they had only been on a couple of dates, but Hermione had known Ron ever since she was eleven and there was no one else that she could ever imagine being with. She waited and waited for Ron to go there but the closest he got was reaching under her skirt. So instead of inviting him over for dinner, she invited him over to- well you know.

And moving in, well that wasn't really her idea. She and Ginny had been sharing a flat since Ginny left Hogwarts and it had all went well. Well until Ron started spending the night more frequently and sporadically, which meant Harry could hardly ever stay over, and Gin could hardly ever stay away without Ron freaking out about her "still being his little sister" and what not. So while Hermione was at work one day (Ginny had a day off from the Harpies) Ginny moved all of Hermione's stuff into Ron's apartment and made Hermione go along with it so that she and Harry could finally have a normal relationship.

Hermione didn't like to admit it, but she was a little impatient, and very controlling. She really wanted for Ron to take the reigns in their relationship but she was tired of just being his girlfriend. She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. And if it took asking _him_ to marry _her_, then so be it.

***

It was five o'clock finally. Ron was ready to go home and spend an evening with his lovely girlfriend. He had been trying to think of a way to ask her all day but he hadn't come up with anything. That was the thing about Ron, he planned too much.

That's why he didn't ask her on a first date. He had almost set up the perfect first date, but the night before he had it all finalized she asked him out and he couldn't just say "No because whatever date you had planned, mine is better." He hadn't tried to "catch the snitch" yet because Ginny was always home whenever they went to her place and the nights they went to his place something always went wrong on what was supposed to be their perfect night. (Not that he had told her that it was supposed to be a special night . . . and how did Hermione get Ginny out the house anyway, whenever he'd asked her to leave Ginny always said "If Harry asked you to leave you wouldn't, so why should I?" and went back into her room.) And the whole moving in thing, well honestly he hadn't thought of that yet, so he couldn't really get a mad at her for that one. But still he should have asked her first.

Ron flooed home and stepped out of the fire place at the small house he shared with Hermione not to far from the Burrow. It was quiet, too quiet, and Ron didn't like it. His Auror instincts told him something was going on.

"Hermione?" Ron called out. He had pulled out his wand and was now making his way into the kitchen after checking out the den and family room. When he walked in he was shocked, Hermione looked gorgeous. She was wearing a black dress he had bought her two years ago for her birthday, the heels Fleur gave her for Christmas, and she had straightened her hair. Something was really going on.

"Hello love," She said as she walked over to him slowly. Ron was stunned and did not like the way this was looking for him.

"Stop right there Mione," Ron said. His face was almost as red as his hair and it had weird expression written across it. Hermione stopped.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Hermione was shocked at Ron's attitude. He loved when she wore this dress, not to mention the heels.

"We're going out tonight." Ron said this as if it had just popped into his head. Hermione's expression quickly became annoyed.

"What are you talking about Ronald? I've cooked and everything and you want to go out?"

"Yup," Ron said as if she had asked him if he was going to work the next day.

"But Ron, _I _cooked!" Hermione was getting frustrated quickly.

"We can put a cooling charm on dinner and have it tomorrow night. But we're going out tonight. You don't have to change we're going somewhere nice. I'm going to go freshen up a bit and then we can leave." And with that Ron turned on his heel and went to their bedroom.

***

Twenty minutes later Ron and Hermione were sitting a private table at _Chez Magique_, the newest and nicest wizarding restaurant in London. Ron had used his "Golden Trio" status to snag him and Hermione a table and they had spent the entire meal in silence. Finally they spoke to one another.

"I have something I need to ask you," they both said simultaneously.

"You first," said Hermione.

"Thank you," Ron said quickly. He then took a breath to say something else.

"Wait," Hermione said cutting in, "You're supposed to say ' no, you first' and then let me speak."

"You know what Hermione? I'm tired of you going first. You always go first, no matter what we do in our relationship you always go first. Well you know what I'm done." Ron said standing up from the table.

"What on earth are you talking about Ron? What do you mean I always go first?" Hermione said also standing up.

"Who initiated our first kiss?" Ron asked accusingly.

"Me but-" Hermione said trying to defend herself but Ron cut her off.

"Who asked me out on our first date?"

"Me but-"

"Who decided when we would have sex? When we would move in together?"

"Me, but Ron-"

"You see you get to do all the firsts in the relationships. Well I beat you this time Hermione Granger. For the first time I've beat the smartest witch of our age." Ron proceeded to get down on one knee and pull out a small black velvet box.

"Hermione Jean Granger, even though you drive me completely mental, are ridiculously controlling, have a temper almost as fiery as my mother's, enable my sisters, er, activeness, and once sent a pack of canaries on me, will you marry me?" Ron said looking lovingly into Hermione's pretty brown eyes with his brilliant blue ones. Hermione just stared back, but then she found her voice.

"Ron did you just ask me to marry you?" she said with a quiet but awed voice.

"Always the tone of surprise," Ron said fondly. She smiled at him.

"Yes, I would be honored to be your bride." He put the ring on her finger and kissed her with a strong fervor she had never felt from him before. After the kiss broke he drew back a bit, still holding her close, and looked and studied his fiancé's (fiancé!) face.

"Now love, what did you want to ask me?" Ron asked with a smug look on his face. Hermione chuckled.

"I was just going to ask if you liked my idea for painting the kitchen." She broke out into a fit of laughter after Ron's face fell and went pale. She wasn't ever going to tell him that she too was going to propose.


End file.
